The idea of a politician as a fighter is misguided.
It’s not what we want out of our elected representatives. And it certainly isn’t what we need.
The common consensus is that Washington D.C and St. Paul are broken — at least that’s a phrase that is used in just about every political ad that’s graced our airwaves.
Perhaps we think it's broken only because politics has become a zero-sum game. One party wins, the other loses. Why is this a competition?
There are many things that need to be injected back into politics: civility, respect, decency. But, most important of all, we need the return of compromise. With that as the goal, we are endorsing Dan Feehan for Congress, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith for the U.S. Senate and Tim Walz for governor.
The four DFL candidates have showed, either through words or actions, their willingness to accept ideas that may not have come from their caucus. They are eager to reach across the aisle.
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Simply put, they will be able to get things done.
Winona Daily News endorsements
1st Congressional District: Dan Feehan
Dan Feehan is a 36-year-old Iraq War veteran and former Department of Defense official. He was born in Red Wing and now lives in Mankato.
Perhaps the candidate who values compromise the most is Feehan, a 36-year-old Iraq War veteran and former Department of Defense official who is seeking office for the first time.
He doesn’t speak as though he has all the answers. He has not drawn a line in the sand. He’s not too proud to realize these are complicated questions that can’t — and shouldn’t — be answered with soundbites and rallying cries.
“When you are engaging the other side from the beginning of the policy process — not the end, but the beginning — you learn that your ideas aren’t as good as you think they are and you humanize yourself to the other side,” Feehan said. “That’s something that is missing in Washington.”
Through his work at the Pentagon, Feehan said he’s already established relationships with two Republicans in the House: Elise Stefanik (upstate New York) and Mike Gallagher (Green Bay, Wis.)
We heard no such willingness for compromise or coalition building from Jim Hagedorn, a 56-year-old businessmen from Blue Earth, Minn., seeking this seat for the fourth time.
His platform centers around his desire to be a “conservative reinforcement” for President Donald Trump.
The difference between the two candidates is most stark on the issue of immigration, where Hagedorn’s fearmongering, parroting the rhetoric from Trump’s campaign rallies and tweets, should be roundly rejected by voters in Winona, Minnesota's first Welcoming America city and home to Project FINE, a nonprofit organization that helps empower immigrants and refugees.
Feehan does not, as Hagedorn insist, want open borders.
“That’s the terminology that gets thrown in when people are unwilling to actually address the systemic issue of immigration,” said Feehan, who supports a robust guest worker program, would like to turn DACA into law and wants to provide a clear pathway to citizenship to those who work and pay taxes and are law-abiding.
“Those are bi-partisan ideas,” he said.
This is just one example. Feehan is looking to go to Washington to roll up his sleeves. We think Hagedorn is going to look for the biggest microphone.
We give Feehan our strongest endorsement.
U.S. Senate: Amy Klobuchar
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., questions Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 27.
She could have raised her voice. She could have pointed a finger. She could have grandstanded for the cameras knowing the replay would be shown on an endless loop — at least until the next shiny thing distracted producers in cable TV newsrooms.
Instead, Minnesota’s senior senator remained focused on the task at hand.
Amy Klobuchar’s showdown with Judge Brett Kavanaugh showed her character. She’s not one for theatrics, unlike so many of her colleagues in today’s political climate.
Instead, she’s about results. That’s why she was the lead Democrat on 20 bills passed in the last two years. That’s why she mentioned, on the Senate floor, her bi-partisan work with Sen. Lindsey Graham on opioid legislation the same day Graham demanded her apology for having the audacity to ask a question in a Senate hearing.
“I think there’s so much grandstanding that goes on both sides of the aisle, and you really have to do your job,” Klobuchar told the Star Tribune.
It’s no surprise that Klobuchar holds a huge lead over Republican challenger Jim Newberger in most polls. We expect the results to look the same, too.
U.S. Senate Special Election: Tina Smith
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith talks with Winona residents on Oct. 16, 2018 at Blooming Grounds during her visit to Winona.
Tina Smith didn’t have a large profile when Gov. Mark Dayton appointed her to fill Al Franken’s seat. That is starting to change, however, as Smith’s no-nonsense, bi-partisan mindset that made her great behind the scenes in St. Paul is translating quite well to Capitol Hill.
She’s worked with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on student and community mental health services and with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) on rural health insurance. She’s fought for rural broadband funding and was involved with the farm bill.
“The purpose of being in the Senate is to get things done,” she said. “My approach is going to be to understand what Minnesota needs, and to translate what Minnesota needs to D.C.”
Republican challenger Karin Housley, a state Senator from St. Mary’s Point, has done admirable work in the Legislature on elder abuse. In a February visit to Winona, Housley aligned herself with state Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, as someone who built a reputation of being able to work across the aisles.
But she hasn’t shown the same grasp of complex national issues as Smith, who deserves to fill the rest of the term.
Governor: Tim Walz
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, DFL gubernatorial candidate, speaks with Jenna Chernega, right, at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse in August.
For 12 years, Tim Walz represented a purple district with a penchant for bi-partisanship and an ability to evolve. He has a track record on getting things done, from farm policy to veterans affairs and, oh yeah, that bridge over the Mississippi River in Winona.
Now it’s time to see if that philosophy can translate to state government.
If there’s a body that needs a good kick in the you-know-what when it comes to getting things done, it’s Minnesota’s state Legislature.
The last legislative session was a failure and ended in finger pointing as outgoing Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed tax conformity and spending bills.
That has to stop. And Walz knows it.
On the campaign trail, he’s mentioned a willingness to work with Republicans, who likely will control the state House again in 2019, on several issues. He told the Star Tribune Editorial Board he would be more collaborative than his predecessor: “It’s up to the governor to build coalitions and break down barriers,” he said.
Jeff Johnson, who ran and lost for governor in 2014, doesn’t appear to share that view. As a Hennepin County Commissioner, Johnson is proud of being the “1” in numerous 6-1 votes. His views are entrenched in far-right ideology and are far from Walz’s “One Minnesota” plan.
Both candidates, though, deserve credit for making this a campaign about the issues — something that is rare in politics in 2018.
This was written by the Winona Daily News editorial board, which consists of editor John Casper Jr., former editor Jerome Christenson and community member Rill Reuter.
